A continuation of Guardian of the Banshee
It was like a dream for her as she
moved about. Caught in a place that existed somewhere between reality and
fantasy, asleep and awake. She knew she could not do the latter until her
Binding Ritual was complete, but she also knew three days had passed.
Hers would be
shorter than almost all who had come before her, at least that’s what she’d
been told by the others. The Specters that came and went freely from within the
mixture of flame and fog that surrounded her wherever she went.
Like a foggy morning upon the beach,
before her, spreading out as far as she could see, amber and red colored waves
of flame flowed like an ocean. Sitting directly above it, just as calm, was the
fog, green in its color but ethereal in its ways. Both came forever towards her
as she stood upon the shore.
Glancing down to
the black colored sand, she knew it came from the mixture of the two. As each
wave came up, the fog cooled it rapidly and tiny flecks of the flame broke off
and remained behind. She had expected the countless billions of shards to be
sharp against her bare feet. She was pleasently surprised to discover they were
too small to do any harm. Acting instead like any other kind of sand, save
perhaps feeling denser than any she could recall.
Looking back to
the ocean and the fog the Specters, past queens themselves, continued to fly
about. They had given her a new sense of purpose to her otherwise wrecked and
turned upside down life. A life she was more than happy to let go, one in which
she had lost everything and felt more alone then she thought possible. At most
a moment’s thought went through her before she said yes, discovering she wanted
what they asked from her with every fiber of her being.
For her it felt
right, natural, as if she was meant to be what they asked her to be, their Queen
of the Banshee. Protector of what was known to them as the Middle World. One of
three realms connected and protected by the Celtic Fire, thus her decision
within it had been easily made.
A smile came to
her as she felt the Fire respond to her thoughts, wrapping her up in its warm
embrace, promising protection just like her Guardian. The Celtic Fire and her Guardian,
one simply a physical incarnation of the other, allowed free will and a life of
his own, were forever linked to her. It would always be that way unless she chose
to relinquish her title and throne or she was killed.
Her last thought
brought forth a dormant and powerful rage from within the Fire. She felt it stir
within her as the Specters, feeling it too, flew about in distress. All of them
shared hatred towards the source of this feeling. All knowing to well that it
had been done many times before, by one who had once sworn to protect queens, but
then had betrayed them, breaking that sacred pact between Guardian and Queen.
-Lasair-
-The Fallen Guardian-
The idea of a
Guardian striking down a queen had never been thought of before. A Guardian
doing such an atrocious act was unimaginable, until him. How many had he slain,
how many had he converted to his Dark Banshee. No one knew the true number,
though in truth they were afraid to know.
The Fallen
Guardian had proven to be more than a force to be reckoned with. Always gaining
the upper hand in the constant struggle between he and his brother. So much in
fact it had taken her own Guardian breaking one of the most coveted vows of the
Guardians code to save her.
-A Guardian does not interfere with a Queens ’s choice, she alone must choose-
But Aidan had done
so, telling her many years ago that when a man asked her to say his name, she
should say his instead. Doing so had saved her and brought her here to the
Celtic Fire and in reality, to her destiny.
As her thoughts
focused on her chosen Guardian, the Celtic Fire and Specters responded, their
anger and rage subsiding. Of the two Guardians who had been created to protect the
Queen of the Banshee, to protect her, it was Aidan who had always been the embodiment
of what that meant.
Lasair, once
honorable and considered the better of the two, had never lived up to the same level
as his younger brother. He had allowed his ego to get in the way more and more,
which from what she had been shown, ultimately led to his downfall. A downfall
she had yet to fully understand as it was never fully revealed to her.
She knew only that
Lasair killed a queen, and in doing so created the first Dark Banshee. But
beyond that nothing more had been divulged. It would be in time she had been promised
and for now she accepted that.
Once the rage and
anger dissipated, the Celtic Fire’s excitement began to take over, its
anticipation of what was to come on Samhain evident. For too long had its
middle realm throne sat unoccupied. But soon all three realms would be once
again in balance.
-It is almost time, Queen Lynette. Soon you
will awaken from your Binding and take your place upon the Throne of Souls. The
Celtic Fire can barely wait-
“I can feel.”
-Are you prepared for what is to come-
“I am.”
-Do you understand to what ends Lasair will
go to keep you from doing so-
“I do.”
-Do
you trust in your chosen Guardian-
“With my very
life.”
-Then prepare to wake, our queen, and
embrace your destiny. Be reborn through the Celtic Fire and take your place
amongst those that protect this world.-
The ocean of
flames suddenly surged towards her, surrounding her in a wide circle as the Specters
gathered around. Their gazes locked onto her, each of their eyes burning with
the same intense colors of the oceanic flames.
Slowly the fire
rose, creating a wall and separating her from the others. All around her the
flames licked back and forth, leapt in every direction, but she was not afraid. The Celtic Fire, like
her Guardian, would never intentionally harm her. This was the final stage of
the Binding Ritual. She needed to be reborn through the Celtic Fire into her
realm, forever joining them together.
Once she was there
her Guardian, Aidan, would be waiting for her and together they would begin
their path. A path that would see the Middle World back in alignment with the
other two worlds, the Over and Under as they were respectively called.
She was thinking upon this when suddenly something
did not feel right. The Celtic Fire reacted differently to something. Something
it could not understand yet somehow knew.
She was still
trying to discern the meaning of it when in the blink of an eye the rage from
earlier returned with a vengeance. Sweeping over her and the Specters like a
flood, all their thoughts and feelings linked together.
Like before the
source remained the same, but how could that be? What had driven the Celtic
Fire to react in such a way, here within itself? A moment later she had her
answer as a familiar and hated voice came through, as though it was one of the
Specters.
-Lass-
Fear gripped her
as she heard the word. She knew it, had heard it, and had loathed hearing it.
The voice belonged to the one who had tried to kill her on a back highway in Oregon
At once she knew
this could not be, it was impossible. He of all creatures could not be here within
the Binding Ritual. She was within the most hallowed circle of the Celtic Fire,
its very heart. A place where only queens could tread, anyone else, including a
Guardian would perish. As if to prove her wrong his voice echoed in her head.
-Come now Lass, there is no need to hide from
me-
An uneasy feeling
came over her while she looked at the curtain of flames. The distinct feeling
that he was there just beyond them, peering directly in at her sent a chill up
her spine. She swore she could almost see his eyes, so full of that twisted
glee she had already come to hate, piercing through to her.
-Lass-
The word was
barely spoken before a hand snaked its way through the flames in front of her. Her eyes went wide as she backed away, still
trying to comprehend how this was possible. Finding a way into the Celtic Fire
was one thing, but being able to survive touching the very heart of the Celtic
Fire was incomprehensible.
The heart was supposed
to be a queen’s last bastion. Her last defense if all else failed her. It was
where no matter what she would be safe. Yet here he was proving otherwise,
watching as the hand before her grasped at the air a few times before
withdrawing from the circle.
Gazing at the spot
it had vanished from she waited for it to return, all but positive it would.
When it did not her eyes darted from side to side, trying to seek it out, while
she backed further up, putting herself further away from where it had appeared.
A second later something grabbed her from behind.
Barely having time
to register the touch a painfully sharp chill tore through her, all but freezing
her where she was. The sensation was the same as when Aidan had touched her for
the first time, coursing through every part of her insides at once. But where
Aidan’s touch had been warm and inviting, this was cold and full of suffering.
She felt every
movement of it as it seeped through her like a thick oil. Slowly making its way
to her heart as every sensation caused a new wave of revulsion in her. She felt
it reach her heart where it went numb, as if suddenly encased in a block of
ice. The numbing sensation began to spread through her body, making her shiver
despite being within the flames. A moment later she became aware of her own
breath before her as her breathing turned to quick panting.
Like with Aidan
images flashed before her, but these were sorrowful. Memories full of betrayal
and hatred overtook her, each one bringing with it a new level of unimaginable
pain frm within, forcing her to her knees.
She saw past
queens that had died or been converted at Lasair’s hands. Queens
who had listened to Lasair, put their trust in him, like she almost had, being
tricked into choosing him as their Guardian. Only to find out afterwards the
terrible mistake they had made.
Tears flowed from
her eyes as the gut wrenching scenes of these women continued to pass before
her. All of them begging and pleading for him to spare them, to spare their
life, some offering to do anything he wanted in return. His response was always
the same, taking great joy in making each one he dealt with suffer more than
the one before. Insisting that each time he cornered a new one of them, he
could heighten their pain even more.
He knew full well
what he was doing and worse, she could feel that he enjoyed every second of it.
In those moments they were joined she came to see the immense level of hatred he
held towards queens.
Then the memories
of the transformations began, all of them filled with just as much anguish and
torment. The excruciating feelings of these women having their souls all but ripped
apart at his very hands echoed through her. Torn apart until all that remained
was but a shell of who they once were.
As the memories continued she felt
herself slipping away, becoming lost to their despair. She became scared and
angry all at once, afraid she would become like those other queens, become as
they were. Desperately she called out to the Specters, to the Celtic Fire
itself, but even as she did she only heard Lasair’s response.
-They
cannot help you Lass. I am as much a part of them as you are. Joined to the
Celtic Fire as only a queen can be-
“That is not possible, Fallen One.”
-So
you know of me now, do you Lass. I Figured as much. And as impossible as it may
be, here I am none the less. Though I will admit I had to utilize many of my Dark
Banshee to get here, and I assure you it was well worth their sacrifice to do
so-
“Even now you would use and destroy
those you converted, those you once sought to protect, for what? To see me, to
kill me, how far you have fallen indeed, Guardian?”
-I
would do so to deliver a message, Lass-
“A message?” her own outrage hitting
new heights. “You would destroy my sisters for a mere message?”
Kneeling there she
felt herself starting to slip further away. Already she could no longer feel
her arms or legs, and as the feeling from her torso began to fade she wondered
if this was the end.
-Be
at ease Lass. I cannot kill you in here, but I can make my presence known-
Sharp pains, like
a hundred needles all at once, suddenly jabbed at her heart before stopping
just as quickly. Barely had she recovered when a second later the sensation
returned, then stopped again. Several more times the pain came and went and as
it did a wave of helplessness began to fill her. An image of her Guardian ran
through her mind, replaced rapidly by another volley of pain.
When it was gone
something new appeared within her, something small and deep down. Barely big
enough for her to notice, but enough that it drew her attention, made her focus
in on it. It was warmth, tiny, but there nonetheless, warding off the cold in
its little corner.
Concentrating on
it she clung to it, needing the warmth it offered as it rose up to meet her. It
continued up until it met her heart and surrounded it, blocking away the cold. She
felt Lasair respond to it as well, his grip loosening as he tried to understand
what it was.
-What have we here-
All at once the
warmth surged through her body, instantly taking it back over and driving the
rest of the cold out. Once she was back in control of herself her head fell
back and a scream, loud and powerful, burst forth from her.
Lasair’s hand
released itself as if on fire, his pain filled scream filling her head.
-Witch-
Her scream lasted for many long seconds until she
felt beyond drained. Like every bit of energy she possessed was gone. When she
stopped she fell forward on to her hands, her body trembling violently as she gulped
for air.
Recognizing she
was still in danger she tried to crawl away, to put as much space between her
and Lasair as possible. But it was beyond her at this point and in the process
of doing so she ended up falling on her belly. With the last of her strength
she rolled herself to her back.
Still trying to
figure out what had happened she saw Lasair clutching his ears and shaking his
head vigorously back and forth. His body was engulfed in blue and green flame,
a stark contrast to the amber and red that burned behind him.
Turning in her
direction she saw his eyes, unable to hide the amount of anger he felt. No
doubt if they were anywhere else she would be dead. Lowering his hands to his
side he stayed where he stood, the experience of whatever it was that just
happened still fresh in his mind.
-I see you have learned the Queens Scream, Lass. I have always wondered if it was
real or not-
He paused as his
unforgettable twisted smile came to his face.
-When the time comes I will enjoy making you
one of my Dark Banshee. I will enjoy every second of tearing apart your sweet
body and soul. I will relish in it like I have not in ages, even more so when I
make my brother watch me do it. Deriving the utmost pleasure from your wails of
pain, perhaps even unlocking the secret of the Queens Scream-
Breathing heavily
she was confused about what he was talking about.
-Don’t feel like talking, your Ladyship-
His eyes narrowed
in thought.
-Or did the Queens
Scream take that much out of you-
When she did not
answer, his smile got smugger.
-That’s interesting. Here I came to simply
deliver a message, and yet I have learned so much more-
He began to walk
towards her, slowly.
-Tell me Lass. Where is your Guardian now? Where is the one you chose-
Something overtook
her bringing on a new sense of weakness as he kept advancing. Something began
to pull her somewhere, but she could not figure out why or to where. At least
until he provided the information, kneeling directly before her.
-I see our time grows short Lass. The Celtic
Fire has finally finished preparing you for your rebirth. Oh it is a very
special occasion, Lass. Trust me, I know. So please allow me to deliver my
message-
She watched as all
the humor and sarcasm fell from his face, replaced with evil and determination.
-I want you, and my brother, to know, that there
is no place you can go, that I will not find you. And the next time we meet,
will be the last-
She had just
enough time to blink before he lunged at her.
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